The government is falling apart - what do farmers expect?

The law provides that the government resigns together with the Prime Minister. However, it can continue its work until a new coalition is formed and other ministers appointed. It is not yet clear what will happen in the Government after the resignation of Gintautas Paluckas. But what are the expectations of the farming community in this extraordinary situation? What do they expect from the new government and how important is it to keep Ignas Hofmanis as Minister of Agriculture?

Chairman of Šakiai District Farmers' Union Darius Ufartas
This is the hottest news of the day. I cannot say that I have had time to consider all the possible options. However, it is worth noting that the Minister of Agriculture has now assembled a really good team and his own views on how the ministry and agriculture should be run are very clear and satisfactory to us," Ufart said in a strong endorsement of Mr Hofmann. The President of the Šakiai District Farmers' Union hopes that the new Government will try to preserve the current Land Minister of Agriculture.

Kėdainiai district farmer Aušrys Macijauskas
A. Macijauskas has no doubt that it would be a very bad idea to change the Minister of Agriculture at this time. And not only because of the situation in Lithuania, but also because of the European Union's policy. The farmer pointed out that the EU is currently going through a lot of negotiations, reviews, and talks on funding for the new period, so a new person would lose a lot of time if he or she were to take over the post of Minister of Agriculture: "It takes a while to get to know the situation, to understand how things work, to just get up to speed – it all takes time. How important is the formation of a new coalition? „We are just observers. Of course, we will have to work with those who are elected, but we cannot exert any influence in this case. Of course, it would be very good if Ignas Hofmanas remains the Minister of Agriculture even if there is a change in the coalition," Macijauskas also expressed his support for the current Minister.

President of the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture Arūnas Svitojus
"It's like some kind of ugly curse," says Svitojus about the possible change of the Agriculture Minister, adding that it is hard to say why ministers in this position change so often. „Unfortunately, farmers are not addressing these issues. These are political agreements“, – stressed the President of the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture. He also noted that all ministries are important, without exception, even just Agriculture. For example, the decisions of the Ministry of the Environment also often have a significant impact
agricultural policy. "Stability is important, but when it is fragile, we have to negotiate and talk, and change is unlikely to be avoided," said Mr Svitojus.

Lithuanian Association of Grain Growers CEO Audrius Vanagas
"The farming community is really happy to have a representative in the position of Minister of Agriculture. Ignas Hofmanas is a professional in his field," says Mr Vanagas. The head of the Lithuanian Grain Growers' Association (LGAA) pointed out that there is no shortage of challenges for farmers at the moment. The European Commission is likely to bring even more challenges, which is why, according to Mr Vanagas, it is very important to have a person who is well versed in this field in the position of Minister of Agriculture. „Throughout the Minister's time in office, we have seen a trend towards an improvement in the overall situation – many issues and problems have been addressed that had been long forgotten or had been standing like stones for a long time. We would like to see this work continue even if the coalition collapses“, – the head of the LGAA expressed his strong opinion, adding that he still hopes that Ignas Hofmanas will remain the Minister of Agriculture.